


The Wake Up Call

by quietly_desperate



Series: 15 Days of Fics [3]
Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anne and Gilbert Meet At Queens, Anne thinks that's cute, Coffee Shops, College, F/M, Fluff, Gilbert is embarrassed, Gilbert left Avonlea and never came back AU, Library Studying, Shirbert, Strangers to Lovers, Studying, coffee dates, falling asleep, why do so many of my shirbert stories take place in coffee shops and libraries?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24764461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietly_desperate/pseuds/quietly_desperate
Summary: There's a cute boy falling asleep at the library, and Anne can't stop looking at him.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Series: 15 Days of Fics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787188
Comments: 3
Kudos: 128





	The Wake Up Call

There was a cute boy sitting across from Anne. 

She had been watching him since he walked into the library two hours ago. Raindrops had been sprinkled throughout his hair when he had first walked in, which was what caught Anne's attention in the first place. His nose was red and his cheeks were flushed from the cold, and it was the most adorable thing Anne had seen in ages. 

He had taken a seat at her table, one seat to the right on the opposite side. They had exchanged smiles but nothing more. He had gotten straight into his studies, pulling out multiple books and a pad of paper to take notes. Anne watched for a few seconds before returning to her own books. She had a history assignment coming up and couldn't afford any distractions. 

Except, as the minutes passed, the boy seemed to become more and more sleepy. His eyes began to droop, and then they'd close. He'd open them immediately at first, but as five minutes turned to half an hour, and half an hour turned into an hour, his eyes would stay closed for longer and longer. He'd taken to slapping his cheeks a few times every time his head began to loll forward. 

Anne was tempted to buy him a coffee. It was obvious his was tired and needed rest, but he was also determined to get his studying done. Surely a coffee could help. However, every time she went to open her mouth, she became uncharacteristically shy and wouldn't be able to get the words out. 

By the time two hours had ticked by, the boy had taken to resting his head one one arm as he wrote with the other. At this point, his eyes were staying closed for minutes at a time. He wouldn't move until something startled him and he jerked into an upright position, only to fall back onto his arms seconds later. 

Anne wanted to tell him to go home and rest. She doubted he would be getting much information out of his books by now with how many times he was falling asleep. There was no point in studying if he was too tired. Plus, he was becoming a real distraction for her. Watching the boy fall asleep was keeping Anne from her studies, and she really needed to get this done. He was just too darned cute to ignore. 

Eventually, he got up and took a walk around the library. Anne watched him as he weaved in and out of the aisles, stopping occasionally to read the blurb of a book. She became fascinated with the way his eyes seemed to sparkle every time he found something interesting to read. His mouth would turn up into a small, almost private, smile. His fingers would twitch, as if he was filling up with excitement, and his posture would straighten up. And then he'd put the book back and his body would sag once again. 

The boy was much like her, Anne came to believe. He found passion and adventure between the pages of a book. There was no other way to explain his pure delight in reaction to a good story. 

He returned shortly after grabbing a drink from the water cooler. Anne gasped, unprepared for his return, and stuck her head in her history book. She hoped she wasn't too obvious that she was watching him. 

They smiled at each other once again, and when the boy sat back down, he actually managed to get some more studying done. This encourage Anne on, and she took down another two pages of notes. When her hand started to cramp, she stopped, put down her pen and shook out her hand. At the same time, the boy across from her face planted onto his books. 

Except, he fell onto of some of Anne's books that she had moved when he had gotten up. That wouldn't have been that much of a problem if Anne hadn't needed them, but they were textbooks that she needed to read now. 

"Err," she said aloud. Now that he was asleep, she didn't want to wake him up again. She just needed her books. 

She waited a few minutes, quietly hoping that he would wake up like he had before. When it became obvious he wasn't going to wake up any time soon, Anne formulated a plan. Considering how tired he was, she doubted he would notice or mind much if she slowly slid her books out from under him. He probably wouldn't wake up at all. 

She counted to three, grabbed her book, and slowly pulled it out from under the boy's head, inch by inch. It started off well. He didn't startle awake like Anne feared. He didn't move at all. He remained sound asleep, so Anne kept going, pulling harder to test her limits. 

The book was halfway out when Anne tugged too hard. The book came flying out from under the boy's head, waking him up at the same time as it smacked Anne in the face from the momentum. She yelped in shock and threw the book back onto the table. It slid and landed right in front of the boy. 

"I'm so sorry!" She cried. "You fell asleep on my book and I didn't want to wake you, but I really needed that book specifically..."

The boy smirked. It wasn't cocky - if anything, it was rather endearing. There was a healthy blush on his cheeks that made Anne blush herself, and his hair was messy from his short nap. Oh boy, he really was beautiful. 

"It's okay," he replied, and Anne swooned over his voice. "I'm sorry for falling asleep on your book. I hope I didn't drool on it."

Anne's active imagination kicked into gear. She conjured up an image of the boy asleep on her bed, softly snoring and a small line of drool falling from his mouth. The idea made her breath stutter and her heart skip a beat. Then she pictured him mumbling in his sleep, and she was a goner. 

She was never a big believer in love at first sight. The whole notion seemed rather absurd. After all, you didn't know a person by just looking at them. It took weeks, months, years even, to get to know someone, to learn the ins and outs of them. She believed you could fall in love with someone in the process of getting to know someone, but certainly not immediately. 

However, Anne was starting to believe you could fall in love with voices. The boy's voice was pure silk and gold, and she would do anything to hear that voice for the rest of her life. 

"You're fine," she finally replied, stuttering over her words. 

"I'm studying to a doctor," the boy continued without prompting. "I don't get much sleep because I'm trying to learn as much as I can. It's not healthy but I can't help it." 

"I understand. When something sparks your interest, you want to keep reading and studying and learning to get the most out of what you love. Just, try not to fall asleep on other people's books too often. Some people may not be as nice about it as I am." 

The boy laughed. "That's true. Thank you for being so understanding." 

"So, a doctor, huh? You must be awfully smart," Anne said. 

"Not as smart as any other person," the boy said with a shrug. "I've always wanted to be a doctor, and I worked hard to get to where I am now. I'm determined to make this work." 

Anne smiled. The boy's eyes sparkled when he talked about being a doctor, too. 

"You've made it this far, I doubt anything could stop you now." She held out her hand. "I'm Anne Shirley Cuthbert."

He shook her hand with a soft touch. "Gilbert Blythe. It's a pleasure to meet you, Anne." 

They lapsed into silence. It wasn't awkward, but it certainly wasn't comfortable, either. There was an energy between them, words left unsaid that charged the air they breathed. Anne so desperately wanted to ask Gilbert more questions, to hear his voice bless her ears as much as he would allow, but she couldn't find the words. All she could do was look up at him occasionally with a smile and blush whenever he caught her eye. 

Another hour passed and less people were coming into the library. Neither of them had said another word, just looked at each other shamelessly. Anne was getting worried that this would be the beginning and the end of their story. It was getting late, nearing five o'clock, and if she didn't say something soon, the chance would slip through her fingers. 

"I-"

"Would-"

Gilbert and Anne burst into giggles. It seemed they had gained some confidence at the same time. 

"You go," Gilbert said. 

"No, you," Anne insisted. 

"I was wondering if you'd like to go get a coffee? Or tea, if that suits you? I mean, it's getting late and I can't concentrate anymore, but I'd love to keep talking to you." 

Anne looked down at her lap, letting her hair fall in front of her face as she giggled. No boy had ever asked her to go get coffee - or tea, - let alone someone as charming as Gilbert Blythe. 

"I would love to go get coffee with you," Anne said. 

Gilbert beamed. "Great. Shall we go now?" 

They packed up their books and pens and paper, and headed out towards the strip of coffee shops that lined the street near the library. Gilbert was ever the gentleman, linking Anne's arm through his and slowing his step so she could keep it. The actions were in no was condescending or belittling - he asked before he linked their arms, and slowed down when he realised he as going too fast. Anne found it rather sweet. 

The chose a quieter looking coffee shop to dine at, picking a booth at the back of the cafe for as much privacy as they could afford. It occurred to Anne rather late that she knew nothing about Gilbert, and whether he was actually safe to be with. Never being one to turn down an adventure, and trusting her instincts rather the irrational reasoning in her head, she let herself enjoy her time with Gilbert. If he ended up being weird or a creep, she could always get up and leave. 

"I realised I never asked what you were studying," Gilbert said. 

"I want to be a teacher," Anne replied. "Not as exciting as a doctor, but one of my teachers back home inspired me to follow her lead." 

"Of course teaching is as exciting as being a doctor," Gilbert said. "I may make people better, but you'll be educating the future generations. That's a huge job." 

"Why, thank you. That means a lot." 

"I'm sorry, I have to ask: you said your last name is Cuthbert. Where are you from?"

Anne's heart beat passionately as she thought about her beloved Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. She loved talking about her adoptive parents so much. 

"I'm from Avonlea. Green Gables, specifically. Well, I was actually in a group home over in Nova Scotia, but my dear Matthew and Marilla adopted me."

Gilbert's mouth dropped open in surprise. "I'm from Avonlea. I left when I my father passed away and I never returned." He smiled, eyes distant in memory. "The Cuthberts' used to care for me when I was a toddler. I heard they had taken a girl in through some old friends, but I never connected the dots that it was you. I'm glad they adopted you. They're good people." 

Anne couldn't believe her luck. Gilbert was from Avonlea. They were destined to meet, and nothing anybody could say would change her mind on the matter. The universe was ever so lazy with such coincidences. 

"Matthew and Marilla have done so much for me, I'm so thankful for all their kindness. And I'm sorry to hear about your father. I never knew my parents, but I can't imagine what it was like to lose someone you knew and loved so early on in your life." 

"It's been years now and it never gets easier. But it also helped me - I traveled on a study visa after my father died. I met my brother, Bash whist in Trinidad and we worked together for a while. He came home with me and we set up house here in Charlottetown. He has a wife now, and a child, and I have a family again. I wouldn't change it for the world."

"I can imagine," Anne smiled. "It sounds like things worked out for you. Well, for both of us, really." 

Gilbert reached across the table and lightly brushed his fingers over Anne's hand. 

"I suppose they did." 

Anne returned to her dorm room later that night with a blush on her cheeks, a smile on her face, and a new contact in her phone. She was definitely studying in the library more often.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at school instead of doing work, so please give me some credit for managing to get this out in the middle of class.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this, and don't forget to check out the rest of my 15 day fics. I'd love to hear your feedback! :)
> 
> Big love x


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